Can You Feel the Love Tonight?
by Gaelcelt
Summary: Steve/Bucky slash. Songfiction. During a struggle with the Winter Soldier, the atmosphere soon changes to "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" (like "the Lion King").


I own none of these characters.

Steve/Bucky slash. Songfiction. During a struggle with the Winter Soldier, Steve/Captain America soon realizes that the Winter Soldier is Bucky. I quickly came to realize that the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" is perfect for a reunion fic with Steve and Bucky (with Tony and Clint exchanging their disbelief at this situation).

Can You Feel the Love Tonight?

Steve ducked and dodged what the Winter Soldier could serve, reciprocating the Russian assassin's blows with gusto to avenge Clint. He had seen the Winter Soldier narrowly miss Clint and he was not about to tolerate any surprise attack on his friends.  
Pinning the Winter Soldier to a wall, Steve somehow jolted the mask from his face. The man swore in Russian, snarling at Steve.  
Steve's eyes went wide in shock and recognition, causing his grip to loosen.  
"Bucky-?!" he gasped.  
The Winter Soldier in turn slackened as his face loosened from wrath to bewildered surprise. Despite his long mane and his gaunt face, it was unmistakable to Steve. He thought that he had recognized those blue eyes, as sunken and hollow as they looked before, and now his lingering suspicion had been vindicated.

"Bucky, is it really you?" Steve had reflexively removed his own mask.

"Steve?" Bucky had snapped out of his stupor.

Before they assembled Avengers could react, Bucky had leapt into Steve's arms as Steve twirled with him.

"You're alive-!"  
"How could I have forgotten you?!"  
"How is this real?!"  
"How could this-?!"  
"It's wonderful to see you!"

Steve's teammates stood in a semicircle, fairly certain of Steve's safety but confusion written all over their faces. Steve and Bucky might have held each other forever if they had not heard Natasha clear her throat. They froze in realization.

"What's going on here?" Tony's voice snapped them back to attention.  
"Avengers," Steve's voice was as giddy as he was, "This is the best news that I've had in a long time… the Winter Soldier is none other than Bucky Barnes, my closest friend since we were kids-!"  
"Friend?!" Clint blurted in confusion.  
Natasha said something in Russian to Bucky, whose brief answer made her smirk.  
"I'd say that you're pretty close for friends, Rogers," Natasha chuckled.

Steve had that far-away look in his eyes that Bucky knew so well, a look that spoke of pain and yearning.  
"Steve?" Bucky gently put a hand on his shoulder, certain about why he was upset but unsure of what would happen.  
"All this time, you've been alive…!" Steve's voice was as soft as the vulnerable look on his face, "It's been over seventy years since I lost you on the train… I can't begin to describe what this means to me…!"

Steve was still terrified of telling Bucky the true extent of his feelings for him, of baring his deepest secret. Although Natasha and Tony had teased them about their close friendship, they were more accurate than he was comfortable admitting.  
He loved Bucky. He'd loved him since they were just kids growing up on the streets. But he saw how much that Bucky charmed and flirted with women and it still hurt. He could sense that, as eager as Bucky was, that his heart wasn't in it; was Bucky just putting on a front like Steve did in those days? As deeply as they knew each other, Steve wasn't sure where they stood with each other sexually.

And then the fall from the train… Steve still woke from nightmares, trying to convince himself in vain that the tears that burned his eyes were just sweat. It didn't work. He was glad to know that the Avengers would not reject him for something about himself that he could not change, but he was still of the mindset that homosexuality was something discrete, and that men did not share their feelings, lest they be seen as weak. He gritted his teeth and tried to push through the day, but he still felt the raw wound from that horrible day long ago…

Bucky watched Steve, like he was searching for an answer, "Steve, what are you trying to say…?"  
"I love you…" Steve's voice trembled, barely audible as he raised his watering eyes to meet Bucky's, "I've loved you since I was fourteen, maybe even before…! I've been too scared to say anything because I don't want to ruin what we have… you're my best friend and I'm scared to death of losing you…!"  
Bucky's mouth was slightly agape, his eyes wide in surprise. Steve gulped and grew pale, "I hope you're not mad at me… I've missed you so much, and I only hope that you'll still be there even if you don't feel the same way about me…!"

Bucky was speechless. Steve internally braced himself, half-expecting disaster to strike. The silence seemed like forever.

The silence was broken when Bucky gently lifted Steve's chin and placed a gentle kiss on his lips, sliding his hands to Steve's back until he embraced him eagerly.

Steve started in surprise before he returned the embrace. Breaking the kiss, Bucky rested his face in the crook of Steve's neck, "I've waited for years to hear you say that to me, you big dope…!"  
Tears of joy streaked Steve's face as he squeezed Bucky.

Tony and Clint watched the reunited pair. "Would you look at them? You think that you know a guy-!" Tony muttered.

"What's got you so upset, Stark?" Clint cocked an eyebrow as he glanced at Tony, "You jealous of Bucky?"

Tony scoffed, "I have Pepper, don't I? And Rogers isn't my type."

"So what is it?"

"Some guy that he hasn't seen or heard from in seven decades suddenly shows up and suddenly we're swept aside? Pfff, go ahead boys, don't mind me…!"

"You think that he'll be a Yoko Ono figure? Real mature, Tony~!"  
Tony petulantly stamped his foot and pouted.

_I can see what's happening_  
_ (What?) _  
_And they don't have a clue_  
_ (Who?) _  
_They'll fall in love and here's the bottom line_  
_Our trio's down to two. _  
_ (Oh.) _  
_Ze sweet caress of twilight_  
_There's magic everywhere_  
_And with all this romantic atmosphere_  
_Disaster's in the air_

Steve and Bucky had the good fortune of convincing Fury that there would not be any trouble, although Fury still looked upon Bucky somewhat warily.

They stood on the balcony of Stark Tower, in the fading afternoon light. It was the perfect ending to a day that had made their hearts leap for joy.  
"We've held this in for a lifetime, Steve… I don't know how we've survived that long…!"

Steve silenced Bucky briefly with another impassioned kiss, "I wanted to die when I saw you fall, Bucky~!" Steve gasped as he broke the kiss, stroking Bucky's tousled hair, "Now that you're with me again… oh god, I'm shaking…!"

"Shake all that you need, Babe. I wouldn't miss a moment with you for anything…!" Bucky murmured into Steve's shoulder.

_Can you feel the love tonight? _  
_The peace the evening brings_  
_The world, for once, in perfect harmony_  
_With all its living things_

Bucky hesitated as he stroked Steve's back. What would Steve think of him if he knew everything that he had done as the Winter Soldier? As much as he wanted to unburden himself, the memories that haunted him were less sympathetic than those of typical soldiers. He could still see the bodies recoiling and crumpling in a heap because he had pulled the trigger. Worst of all was when he was assigned to eliminate multiple people at once… especially troubling to him was when he had to destroy a whole family, even though the children had done no harm. The explicit details were only secondary to the fact that he was trained as an assassin.

How could he face Steve with these facts? How could he unburden himself to Steve when what he had done was so repellant, even though he was drowning in contrition? Before he could stop himself, he drew a shuddering breath.

_So many things to tell her_  
_But how to make her see_  
_The truth about my past? Impossible! _  
_She'd turn away from me_

"What is it, Soldier?" Steve knew him far too well, "What's troubling you?"

Bucky was afraid to look him in the eye. It alarmed Steve, since Bucky hardly ever avoided his gaze.  
"I understand that you've seen things, done things that are difficult to talk about. I expect that you won't be the same as you were before… but please, Bucky, don't shut yourself off from me, not when I've found you after so long…!"  
Bucky kept his face lowered, "Steve, how can you accept me after all that I've done? I've killed people; I'm a trained assassin-! I just…!"

Steve took Bucky's face in his hands, shivering at the haunted look in Bucky's increasingly glassy eyes, "That wasn't you, Bucky-! You would never have chosen to do anything like that-!"

Steve felt his own eyes brimming, but he pressed on, "I don't expect you to tell me all of the sordid details, but whatever that you're thinking or feeling, please don't feel like you have to endure it alone. I've missed you more than I can tell and I don't want to lose you again…!"

_He's holding back, he's hiding_  
_But what, I can't decide_  
_Why won't he be the king I know he is_  
_The king I see inside? _

Bucky felt hot tears spill over his cheeks as he gasped in relief. Steve leaned in and kissed his tears away, feeling his own face wet with relieved tears.  
Speechless at Steve's reassurances, Bucky turned his head and kissed the wet streaks on his lover's face. He gradually made his way to the pink, supple cushions of Steve's lips and eagerly gave into the desires that he had to suppress again and again.

Steve jumped in amused surprise as he felt Bucky desperately tugging to release him from his uniform. "Easy, soldier-!" he yelped, a smile spreading over his features, "What d'you think we move this inside? People could see this."  
"Yes-!" Bucky's hunger was written all over his face and emanated from his voice, "But would they be so shocked by _this_?"  
Steve yelped, laughing as Bucky playfully grabbed his buttocks and mounted his curled his leg around Steve's thigh.  
"C'mon, you-!" Steve crowed as he pulled both of them toward the doors, both tussling playfully as they made their way into the sunken lounge amid the remnants of the sunset.

_Can you feel the love tonight? _  
_The peace the evening brings_  
_The world, for once, in perfect harmony_  
_With all its living things_

They tumbled to the floor, grunting at the impact, but they didn't care. Steve eagerly rolled on top of Bucky, pinning him to the floor like he was subconsciously trying to keep him from slipping away again.

Bucky gazed up at him with lusty eyes, but somehow he suddenly looked so vulnerable to Steve now. He was home from a long, arduous journey. He was with Steve again. All at once, he felt like crying and shouting for joy, like making love to Steve and curling against his great, muscular chest…

"I still can't believe that you still love me after all that I've done…!" Bucky's voice was small and brittle.

"How could I stop it, Soldier? I love you more than you will ever know," Steve stroked Bucky's mussed raven tresses. His eyes were big and earnest, yielding ineffable tenderness, despite his obvious desire.  
Bucky felt a stray tear roll from his eye, "I love you too, Babe…!" he gasped as he leaned in for the first of a series of fervent kisses.

_Can you feel the love tonight? _  
_You needn't look too far_  
_Stealing through the night's uncertainties_  
_Love is where they are_

"It's so unfair-!" Clint griped, "Just when I think that he's cool enough for a night with the boys, his long-lost boyhood sweetheart shows up and suddenly we're not good enough?!"  
"Finally, someone who understands my viewpoint~!" Tony chimed in.

_And if he falls in love tonight_  
_It can be assumed_

"Uh, boys, this is not going to last forever; Steve and Bucky just need a little while to be reacquainted with each other, then they'll be back," Bruce pointed out, somewhat put out by the peevish moping.  
"Just ignore them," Natasha remarked, rolling her eyes, "They're impossible."  
"It's just Tony and Clint being themselves," Pepper added as she and Natasha exchanged a look about their boyfriends, who were currently crying in each other's arms.

_His carefree days with us are history_  
_In short, our pal is doomed_


End file.
